Ed's Mobile Blog

Friday, March 20, 2015

Sony SBH52BK Bluetooth FM Headphones

It's been a long time since I got excited about a Sony product. This little gadget, however, is so good Apple should include it with every iPhone sold. You see, this Sony headset solves two problems I have had with the iPhone. It will work with an Android phone too btw.

First off, listening to music on an iPhone without it being tethered to you with a headphone wire is extremely convenient. No more wires getting snagged on something whenever I take my phone out of my pocket. Very helpful, especially on a crowded subway train. And, while there are other wireless headphones out there, they are all pretty bulky to me. This one is different. It's about the size of a pack of chewing gum and has a clip on the back. What makes it great though is that you can plug in any regular set of headphones that you like. It comes with is own basic set which work fine but you are free to use whatever headphones you prefer. The ability to remove and replace the ear buds makes it easy to carry this Sony setup anywhere.

The second trick this Sony manages is that includes a very nice digital FM radio. It really bugs me that Apple's otherwise excellent iPhone has its FM radio chip disabled. (It's in there but Apple won't turn it on) FM is great to have for those times when you can't stream via WiFi or can't get a strong cellular signal. It is not as convenient as having FM built in to the phone itself but it does work very well.

The controls on this Sony are easy enough to figure out and the device recharges through a micro USB port using the included cable. Prices I've seen run from the $60 range to Sony's $99 price. Well worth it in my opinion.